Wild Turkey Bourbon Whiskey Info, Reviews, and Musings

Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit (2193-B-8, 2015)

Enjoy the thrill of a gamble? Well, I’ve got the bourbon for you … Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit. As with all single barrel whiskeys, there’s some chance of profile variance. But with Kentucky Spirit … let’s just say it’s very consistent at being inconsistent.

Inconsistency, however, isn’t always bad. The reward can be considerably high, should you find a spectacular barrel. But generally speaking, inconsistency increases the gap between quality and value. In other words, WTKS may not always equal the super-premium investment, as it retails for just under double the price of Wild Turkey 101 (and often tastes pretty close to it). You just have to roll the dice to find out. So here we go …

Overall: If this Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit were a $5.00 lotto scratch-off ticket, I just “won” $4.00 (hey, at least no Whammies). But in all seriousness, if modern Kentucky Spirit averages very good/solid by my standards (which is about where it sits nowadays) then this particular barrel squeaks out a 3/5.

When I first opened this bottle some weeks back, I was leaning slightly above average at 2.5/5. But some air did this whiskey well (as it often does for 100+ proof bourbons) and I ended up finding a few unique notes outside of the new standard 101 profile – hazelnut and fruit straps most notably. It’s not as good as a recent store select I had the pleasure of sampling, but it is a touch better than the last two bottles of NAS WT 101 I’ve had. So, 3/5 it is and I’ll keep on hunting for better ones (fingers crossed, dice kissed)!

Regarding Reviews

I hope you enjoy the Rare Bird 101 blog and my enthusiasm for Wild Turkey bourbon and rye whiskey. When reading, please note that the reviews posted here are of my own opinion. I am not employed by Wild Turkey or its parent company, Campari.